Collecting and disposing of trash in confined conditions, particularly on-board a commercial aircraft, can be challenging. A good deal of rubbish is generated on such vehicles, and airline attendants must collect and dispose of this rubbish in an efficient manner. For example, after in-flight beverage service, unused items are collected, which often include drink cups, napkins, newspapers, food wrappers, tea bags, beverage cans, other packaging or non-consumable items and the like, food wastes, or any other type of disposable item that a passenger may consume or bring on-board. Airline attendants typically walk through aisles to collect un-used items and other trash materials. It is desirable to eventually compact all of this trash so that the materials collectively take up less space in the galley area.
The attendants may either push a mobile trolley down the aisle to collect trash or collect trash by hand (e.g., using a hand-held bag and transferring the trash to a compactor in the galley). If a trolley is used, mobile trolleys generally have an opening at the top, into which trash is deposited. One example of a mobile trolley is shown in FIG. 1. This system provides a removable trolley 10 that may be moved into the passenger cabin down the aisles during the trash collection process. One benefit of this system is that trash items are only handled one time—at the point of collection from the passenger, and disposed directly into the top-loading area 12 of the trolley. In the design shown, the trolley is compartmentalized with three bins 14 and allows for in-flight separation of trash items for later recycling. The trolley may also be used as a trash drawer in the galley environment. It may be pulled out of the compaction stand (which remains in the galley compartment at all times), and trash may be top-loaded into one of the trash bins 14. The trolley 10 is then inserted back into the compactor for processing. Mobile trolleys do not have front doors, nor are they intended for front loading of trash. A specialized compactor head is designed that compacts, lifts and moves back to the next bin for its compaction.
Alternatively, the attendants may simply walk down the aisles, carrying a plastic bag or tray to collect trash and un-used items. They then carry this trash back to the galley where it is disposed, which typically involves loading the trash into a stationary compactor unit via a front door that leads to the trash compactor. One example of a stationary trash compactor 16 is shown in FIG. 2. This compactor is a fixed-based unit that remains in the galley compartment at all times in flight. Trash items are brought from the passenger cabin to the galley and compactor. FIG. 2 shows the compactor main door 18 in a open position, but when in use, the main door is closed and a front trash door 20 opens for insertion of trash. Stationary compactors are front-loading units. The trash door load opening is typically approximately 8.5″×8.5″. The trash door 20 is generally left open when the unit 16 is not compacting. This makes it convenient for in-flight personnel to load the compactor with items from the passenger cabin or from the galley environment during meal preparation. This compactor's method of collection is conducive to airlines that choose to collect trash items from passengers by hand versus allowing a waste trolley to be moved down the aisles.
There is also a good deal of trash generated in the galley area itself. For example, airline attendants may brew coffee and tea, requiring disposal of used coffee grounds and tea bags. They also may prepare food trays to be served, which may involve removing covering wrappers from the trays. There are also paper products, such a paper towels and napkins used in the galley, that need to be disposed. These items are typically disposed into a stationary trash compactor 16.
Current trash compactors used on-board commercial aircraft support only stationary or only mobile trash collection, but not both. In other words, a mobile unit may be used for collecting trash from passengers in the aisles, which has its own galley stand specifically designed for compacting into a mobile open-top trolley. A stationary compactor is used for collection of trash generated in the galley and elsewhere on-board the aircraft, but stationary compactors are built-into the galley area. They cannot be used for mobile trash collection. (Although stationary trash compactors may have wheels as shown in FIG. 2, they are only for removing and replacing the unit for servicing; stationary compactors are not otherwise designed to be removed from the galley.) It is thus desirable to provide a versatile compaction system, which provides a mobile trolley that can also be used for stationary trash compaction as well. It is further desirable that the trash compactor trolley unit be appropriately sized, and as efficient and light as possible.